Mandatory FASTag Enforcement Delayed Until December 15th by Government Action
Revised Article:
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has pushed back the implementation date for mandatory FASTag usage on National Highway Toll Plazas to December 15, 2019. The initial launch date was set for December 1, 2019. To minimize fuel consumption, time wasting, and pollution, and to ensure uninterrupted traffic flow, the Ministry has launched the National Electronic Toll Collection program (NETC), which employs RFID technology for toll collection. As of December 1, 2019, nearly all lanes (except one lane on each side) in Fee Plazas were set to be designated as 'FASTag lanes' [1]. In light of this, NHAI has outfitted all toll plazas with electronic toll collection systems.
To ease FASTag availability, NHAI has introduced the MyFASTag app, enabling users to acquire all FASTag-related information and locate POSs, as well as link their NHAI accounts or bank accounts. Alas, it appears that many citizens have yet to equip their vehicles with FASTags for various reasons. Consequently, to give citizens more time to purchase and install FASTags on their vehicles, the decision has been made to delay the commencement of double toll charges for vehicles entering FASTag lanes without FASTags from December 1, 2019 to December 15, 2019 [2]. The free NHAI FASTag service will continue until December 15, 2019.
FASTags: A Bridge to Streamlined Toll Collection
The compulsory FASTag implementation was originally scheduled for December 1, 2019, but was subsequently postponed to December 15, 2019. This extension offers vehicle owners additional time to familiarize themselves with the new electronic toll collection system. While the motivations behind such deadline extensions are not always explicitly provided, they typically aim to ensure a smooth transition, address public readiness, and minimize disruptions for road users who are still familiarizing themselves with the new system [2][3].
The timeline for the National Electronic Toll Collection program notes that the government initially announced that FASTags would be mandatory on all National Highways from December 1, 2019, with non-FASTag users facing double the toll. The additional two weeks likely lessened the impact of penalties on users and provided toll operators with more time to implement necessary upgrades [1].
In essence, the postponement was primarily intended to facilitate a smoother rollout and to allow more vehicle owners to adopt their FASTags before enforcement began.
- Due to the postponement, vehicle owners now have additional time to understand and adapt to the new electronic toll collection system in the public-transit sector, particularly the mandatory FASTag usage for transportation on National Highways.
- The delay in the commencement of FASTag implementation also offered toll operators in the industry more time to make the necessary improvements in their systems, thereby potentially minimizing disruptions for users who are still familiarizing themselves with the changes in the finance sector.
